He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently
that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground.)

45

When he rose from prayer and returned to his
disciples, he found them sleeping from grief.

46

He said to them, "Why are you sleeping?
Get up and pray that you may not undergo the test."

47

While he was still speaking, a crowd approached
and in front was one of the Twelve, a man named Judas. He went up to Jesus to
kiss him.

48

Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying
the Son of Man with a kiss?"

49

His disciples realized what was about to
happen, and they asked, "Lord, shall we strike with a sword?"

50

And one of them struck the high priest's
servant and cut off his right ear.

51

15 But Jesus said in reply, "Stop, no more
of this!" Then he touched the servant's ear and healed him.

52

And Jesus said to the chief priests and temple
guards and elders who had come for him, "Have you come out as against a
robber, with swords and clubs?

53

Day after day I was with you in the temple
area, and you did not seize me; but this is your hour, the time for the power
of darkness."

54

After arresting him they led him away and took
him into the house of the high priest; Peter was following at a distance.

55

They lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard
and sat around it, and Peter sat down with them.

56

When a maid saw him seated in the light, she
looked intently at him and said, "This man too was with him."

57

But he denied it saying, "Woman, I do not
know him."

58

A short while later someone else saw him and
said, "You too are one of them"; but Peter answered, "My friend,
I am not."

59

About an hour later, still another insisted,
"Assuredly, this man too was with him, for he also is a Galilean."

60

But Peter said, "My friend, I do not know
what you are talking about." Just as he was saying this, the cock crowed,

61

and the Lord turned and looked at Peter; 16
and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, "Before
the cock crows today, you will deny me three times."

62

He went out and began to weep bitterly.

63

The men who held Jesus in custody were
ridiculing and beating him.

64

They blindfolded him and questioned him,
saying, "Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?"

65

And they reviled him in saying many other
things against him.

66

1718 When day came the
council of elders of the people met, both chief priests and scribes, and they
brought him before their Sanhedrin.

67

They said, "If you are the Messiah, tell
us," but he replied to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe,

68

and if I question, you will not respond.

69

But from this time on the Son of Man will be
seated at the right hand of the power of God."

70

They all asked, "Are you then the Son of
God?" He replied to them, "You say that I am."

71

Then they said, "What further need have we
for testimony? We have heard it from his own mouth."

1
[⇒ 22:1-⇒ 23:56a] The
passion narrative. Luke is still dependent upon Mark for the composition of the
passion narrative but has incorporated much of his own special tradition into
the narrative. Among the distinctive sections in Luke are: (1) the tradition of
the institution of the Eucharist (⇒ Luke 22:15-20);
(2) Jesus' farewell discourse (⇒ Luke 22:21-38);
(3) the mistreatment and interrogation of Jesus (⇒ Luke
22:63-71); (4) Jesus before Herod and his second appearance before
Pilate (⇒ Luke 23:6-16); (5) words addressed to the
women followers on the way to the crucifixion (⇒ Luke
23:27-32); (6) words to the penitent thief (⇒ Luke
23:39-41); (7) the death of Jesus (⇒ Luke
23:46, ⇒ 47b-49). Luke stresses the
innocence of Jesus (⇒ Luke 23:4,
⇒ 14-15, ⇒ 22) who is
the victim of the powers of evil (⇒ Luke 22:3,
⇒ 31, ⇒ 53) and who
goes to his death in fulfillment of his Father's will (⇒ Luke
22:42, ⇒ 46). Throughout the narrative
Luke emphasizes the mercy, compassion, and healing power of Jesus
(⇒ Luke 22:51; ⇒ 23:43)
who does not go to death lonely and deserted, but is accompanied by others who
follow him on the way of the cross (⇒ Luke
23:26-31, ⇒ 49).

2 [1] Feast of Unleavened Bread,
called the Passover: see the note on ⇒ Mark 14:1.

4 [10] A man will meet you carrying a
jar of water: see the note on ⇒ Mark 14:13.

5 [15] This Passover: Luke clearly
identifies this last supper of Jesus with the apostles as a Passover meal that
commemorated the deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Jesus
reinterprets the significance of the Passover by setting it in the context of
the kingdom of God (⇒ Luke 22:16). The
"deliverance" associated with the Passover finds its new meaning in
the blood that will be shed (⇒ Luke 22:20).

6 [17] Because of a textual problem
in ⇒ Luke 22:19-20 some commentators interpret this
cup as the eucharistic cup.

7 [19c-20] Which will be given . . .
do this in memory of me: these words are omitted in some important Western text
manuscripts and a few Syriac manuscripts. Other ancient text types, including
the oldest papyrus manuscript of Luke dating from the late second or early
third century, contain the longer reading presented here. The Lucan account of
the words of institution of the Eucharist bears a close resemblance to the
words of institution in the Pauline tradition (see ⇒ 1 Cor
11:23-26). See also the notes on ⇒ Matthew
26:26-29; ⇒ 26:27-28; and
⇒ Mark 14:22-24.

8 [24-38] The Gospel of Luke presents
a brief farewell discourse of Jesus; compare the lengthy farewell discourses
and prayer in John 13-17.

9 [25] 'Benefactors': this word
occurs as a title of rulers in the Hellenistic world.

10 [31-32] Jesus' prayer for Simon's
faith and the commission to strengthen his brothers anticipates the
post-resurrectional prominence of Peter in the first half of Acts, where he
appears as the spokesman for the Christian community and the one who begins the
mission to the Gentiles (Acts 10-11).

11 [31] All of you: literally, "you."
The translation reflects the meaning of the Greek text that uses a second
person plural pronoun here.

12 [36] In contrast to the ministry of
the Twelve and of the seventy-two during the period of Jesus
(⇒ Luke 9:3; ⇒ 10:4), in
the future period of the church the missionaries must be prepared for the
opposition they will face in a world hostile to their preaching.

13 [38] It is enough!: the farewell
discourse ends abruptly with these words of Jesus spoken to the disciples when
they take literally what was intended as figurative language about being
prepared to face the world's hostility.

14 [43-44] These verses, though very
ancient, were probably not part of the original text of Luke. They are absent
from the oldest papyrus manuscripts of Luke and from manuscripts of wide
geographical distribution.

15 [51] And healed him: only Luke
recounts this healing of the injured servant.

16 [61] Only Luke recounts that the
Lord turned and looked at Peter. This look of Jesus leads to Peter's weeping
bitterly over his denial (⇒ Luke 22:62).

17 [66-71] Luke recounts one daytime
trial of Jesus (⇒ Luke 22:66-71) and hints at some
type of preliminary nighttime investigation (⇒ Luke
22:54-65). Mark (and Matthew who follows Mark) has transferred
incidents of this day into the nighttime interrogation with the result that
there appear to be two Sanhedrin trials of Jesus in Mark (and Matthew); see the
note on ⇒ Mark 14:53.

18 [66] Sanhedrin: the word is a
Hebraized form of a Greek word meaning a "council," and refers to the
elders, chief priests, and scribes who met under the high priest's leadership
to decide religious and legal questions that did not pertain to Rome's
interests. Jewish sources are not clear on the competence of the Sanhedrin to
sentence and to execute during this period.